LOVERS AND THE DESPOT, THE

THE LOVERS AND THE DESPOT REVIEWED

“The Lovers and the Despot” follows the famous kidnapping case of when Kim Jong-Il took South Korea’s greatest director and his lover. From there, the dictator made the man create films like Pulgasari and other Commie propaganda to entertain the little fat man. The documentary gives the kidnapping victims more of a chance to share the spotlight. Often, we see too much of these documentaries focusing on how crazy Kim Jong-Il gets at a given time. Good times all around.

What kills me about this documentary is that I wanted more. I’m a super huge fan of Communist Cinema, so the nature of what fueled it really entertains me. Most of Russia’s film history has been covered and the remainders tend to focus on the odd adaptations of Western material. Areas such as Cuba, North Korea and the Eastern Bloc have odder things to say. As times get weird and turn a little more Cold War-ish, we owe it to ourselves to investigate.

FILM STATS

Not Rated

1 hr and 38 mins

Magnolia

RELEASE DATE: 1/24/17

Film Score - 93%

93%

The Plot Thus Far

The story of the South Korean actor, Choi Eun-hee, and her ex-husband and film director, Shin Sang-ok, who were individually kidnapped and reunited by dictator and film fan Kim Jong-il to force them to develop North Korea's film industry.